Motor Gliders generally have a poorer glide ratio than a pure glider, but have the advantage that you can get flying on days when the club isn't operating. I suspect also that you'll get more circuits/hour in a TMG/SLMG than when being dragged.
worrab, I agree with you. All of my motor glider instructing experience was in a Motorfalke, which was ugly to look at and had abysmal climb performance. However, its redeeming feature was that it flew like a glider with the engine off and so was perfect for teaching students how to fly glider circuits and land. It was also side-by-side, which is much better for teaching.
Students could book lessons and turn up - no ground handling team was required. A typical circuit would be:
- student apply full power, keep straight and takeoff
- accelerate in ground effect to climb speed (not much different from taking off behind a tow-plane)
- climb out via the cross-wind leg and establish downwind at circuit height.
- I would then shut the engine down while the student flew the aircraft
- the rest of the circuit and landing was like a normal glider, using spoilers to adjust the glide path
- once on the ground and while still moving, I would restart the engine and the student would apply full power and take off again
We could easily do six circuits an hour. It did wonders for a student's progress and continuity. Compare that with hanging around a drafty airfield all day and getting perhaps one or two flights, followed be a one or two week delay, before the next lesson.
Concerning the poor glide ratio, it was easy to simulate a higher-performance glider, by keeping the engine running at a low power setting.
Like the US, their aviation authority presumes to license gliding, while knowing absolutely bugger all about it.
Mary,
While TC issues the licences (and instructor ratings) upon receipt of the appropriate forms and money, the SAC administers all ab-initio and instructor training, by delegating authority to the CFIs of its member clubs and by running regional instructor courses. So it's pretty much the same as the BGA.